Recutting-machine



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

S. E. PLUMMER.

RBCUTTING MACHINE.

No. 451,434. Patented Apr. 2.8, 1891.

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v(No Model.) Y 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

S. E. PLUMMBR. REGUTTING MACHINE.

No. 451,434. Patented Apr. 28,1891.

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UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STEPHEN E. PLUMMER, OF VHITMAN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO E. GERRY BROWN, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

RECUTTlNG-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 451,434, dated April 28, 1891. Application filed September 17, 1890. Serial No. 3655238. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, STEPHEN E. PLUMMER, of lVhitman, county of Plymouth, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Recutting-Machines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters and iigures on the drawings representing like parts.

1o In the manufacture of boots and shoes it is customary to lay patterns on the leather or other material used, and then to cut the material about the said patterns, and thereafter the said blanks so cut out are crimped to give to them the proper shape, these crimped pieces being used not only for tops but for Vamps, duc. y

In crimping, owing to the differences in the various parts of the skin and to imperfect 2o placing on the crimping-former, the crimped edges of the superimposed partscof the crimped blank do not correspond and the crimped parts have to be recut, and in practice, so far as I am aware, this recutting has always been z5 done by hand. l

The gist of my invention consists in the .production of a machine by which to automatically perform the recutting, one or many crimped blanks being recut at one stroke.

3o In this embodiment of myinvention I have chosen to illustrate the same in a machine or apparatus adapted to recut tops of Congress or button boots; but it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that by changing the shape of the cutting -knives back pieces of shoes, Vamps, boot-legs, backs and fronts, or any parts which have been crimped, may be readily recut to size and width, leaving their superimposed edges parallel.

4o In accordance with` my invention I have provided a cross-head with a set of knives composed, as represented, of three parts, one knife being shaped to out the rounded lower end of the blank, the other the top of the blank, while the third knife cuts the corners between.

I have named three knives as preferable, for by such construction and attaching the said knives adjustably to a plate it is pos- 5o sible by merely changing the corner knife for one of another size to enable many sizes of the same shape to be recul'.

Figure l in front elevation represents one form of a recutting-machine embodying my invention; Figs. 2, 3, and 4, respectively, an under side View, a section, and a rear side elevation of the plate and its attached cutters. Figs. 5 and 6 show a cutter adapted for a larger size, thev corner knife having been changed; Fig. 7, a plan view of the cutting- 6o bed with its attached gages, the knives being shown in section.

The frame-workA is and may be of usual shape to sustain the working parts, the uprights A A thereof being slotted in usual manner to receive the ends of the cross-head A2, the ends of which are attached by links A3 to arms A4 of a rock-shaft A5, which in practice will have attached to it a suitable treadle in continuance of the arm AG, the 7o rock-shaft being turned to keep the cross head normally elevated by a suit-able spring, or it may bc a counter-weight, all as usual.

The cross-head A2 has attached io it by suitable bolts 2 2 the sha'nk of a knife-carry- 75 ing plate B. This plate (see Figs. 2 and 5) has bolted to its under side a block a, to which, by suitable screws 3, is secured the corner knife B', which cuts the corners 4 of the crimped blank, tle said knife having prefer- 8o ably slots through which-the said screws are entered, in order that the said knives may be readily changed for a wider or narrower one, according to the size of the blank to be recut, the said slots permitting the said corner knife S 5 to be pulled off by simply slackening the said screws.

The corner 5 of any corner knife used always occupies one andthe same position relatively to the plate B and the cutting-bed,but 9o the knives h and c co-operating with the said 'corner knife in order that the corner knife maybe of greater or less size, as required,

are attached to blocks b c', in turn adjustably attached to the block a by screws b2 b2, 95 the block a having suitable lugs or projections to act as guides to insure the correct alignment of the straight parts G 7 of the knives b c with the straight parts of the corner knife under all adjustments. The knife roo 71 shapes the lower end of the blank il where the same, cut for a top, meets the usual fore part. The knife e is bent at its outer end, as

at 8, to cut the upper end portion or end of the blank,to constitute, as shown, part of the top edge of the boot. It is obvious that these knives b and c may be shaped differently according to the particular shape of the blank to be recut, and it will be noticed that all io blanks used in the construction of the main crimped parts of a boot or shoe have a corner 5 at some part of their length,from which corner the other knives start, and their particular contour will depend upon the shape dexi; sired for the extremities of the recut blank.

For sake of brevity I shall denominate these knives l) and c as end knives.

The machine has a suitable table-plate C, which in practice will be made vertically adzo justable by means of the screws C C', in order that it may be adjusted into the proper level accordingr to the requirements of the knives. This table-plate supports a cuttingbed D of suitable material, preferably soft metal.

The bed D is slotted diagonally, as shown by dotted lines, Fig. 7, to receive lugs IO, (also shown by dotted lines,) said lugs being attached to the under side of a formation-gage 3o E, the acting edge of which conforms in shape to the acting edge ot' the crimping-form used in crimping the blank, the said formationgage acting to position the crimped edge of the blank on the cutting-bed under the recutting-knives, so that as the said knives descend upon the blank they will cut it and leave both edges of the superimposed parts thereof parallel.

I may, if desired, recut a pile of crimped 4o blanks, one laid on the other, and I have recut successfully twelve blanks at one operation.

It will be understood in the manufacture of boots and shoes that the crimped blank for a given number of boot or shoe will be of a certain length from the corner 4: to the top end l2, no matter what the width of the boot or shoe, it being well understood that manufacturers in makin gboots and shoes for market 5o make many different widths of the same length-size.

The knives will be iirst set for the size or number of the boot or shoe, and thereafter by the adjustment of the formation-gage the different widths may be established.

Viewing Fig. 7 let e represent an adjustable size or length gage, andf a width-gage. Now to recut a No. 6 crimped blank (it being supposed that a No. 5 width is the largest to 6o be recut) the operator will put the corner 3 of the formation-gage at the largest width N o. 5, and will then adjust the size or length gage to bring No. G to the corner I-t, and thereafter as the sizes vary in length (in this instance smaller sizes) the operator will adjust the gage e to place it into line successively with the smaller numbers on the lengthgage. To recut larger sizes the formationgage may be moved outwardly.

It will be obvious that my recutting-machine could be used to advantage even were all the knives in one piece, especially if any great number of blanks of the same width and length were to be eut at one time; but making the knives in three pieces, as described, tends to economy and to rapidity of adjustment from one to another length.

I claim- 1. In a recutting-maehine to recut crimped blanks, a bladecarrying plate having a removable corner blade and longitudinally-adjustable end blades, as described, of the proper contour, combined witha formation-gage to act against the crimped edge of the blank and with a width-gage to position said formationgage, substantially as described.

2. In a recutting-maehine to recut crimped blanks, a blade-earryingplate having ablade or blades, as described, of the proper contour, combined with a slotted bed and a formationgage to act against the crimped edge of the blank and provided with lugs on its under side to enter said slots and with an adj ustable size or length gage, substantially as described.

3. In a reeutting-machine to recut crimped blanks, a blade-carrying plate having blades, as described, of the proper contour and adj ustable, combined with a formation-gage to act against the crimped edge of the blank and with a width-gage and an independent adjustable size or length gage to co-operate with the formation-gage, substantially as described.

4. In a recutting-machine to recut crimped blanks, a cutting-bed and a knife-holder, combined with a corner knife and end knives adjustable with relation to the said corner knife in alignment with the sides thereof to adapt them to corner knives of any particular size, substantially as described.

5. The knife-holder having a block a, a corner knife connected thereto, and end knives, combined with adjustable blocks to which the said end knives are attached, substantially as described.

G. The knife-holder having a block a, a corner knife connected thereto, and end knives, combined with adjustable blocks to which the said end knives are attached, and with guides to insure the alignment of the straight parts (3 and 7 of the end knives with the corner knife in all adjustments of thesaid end knives, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

STEPHEN E. ILUMMER.

Witnesses:

Guo. W. GREGORY, A. S. WInenNn.

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